


Mortality

by ForestsAndSunsets



Series: V-Tamers [28]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Death, Death from Old Age, Gen, Hugs, Mortality, but i think it ruins the effect to have a happy ending, this was supposed to have more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25857361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestsAndSunsets/pseuds/ForestsAndSunsets
Summary: Everyone dies eventually.~(Zero-centric)
Relationships: Duftmon | Leopardmon & UlforceVdramon | UlforceVeedramon, Magnamon & UlforceVdramon | UlforceVeedramon (Digimon), Yagami Taichi (V-Tamer) & Zeromaru
Series: V-Tamers [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706560
Comments: 20
Kudos: 15





	Mortality

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Zero is tired](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23774773) by [Storm_Clouds_and_Starshine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storm_Clouds_and_Starshine/pseuds/Storm_Clouds_and_Starshine). 



> Mortality: The state of being subject to death; being mortal.
> 
> ~
> 
> (I have no idea how coherent any of this is, but I'm gonna post it anyway because I'm tired. I'll edit it when I wake up.)
> 
> ~
> 
> Featuring: Old!Taichi, Royal Knight!Zero, and Non Canon!Royal Knights. (If anything, it follows Xros Wars canon, and even then there are differences)

Humans didn’t evolve like Digimon.

Instead, they grew slowly. Upgrading to a certain point, then degrading. Their bodes first lengthened and became more sturdy, but as time passed more and more of the muscle they’d built up seemed to melt away; like ice cream on a hot day.

Zero knew this meant their version of death would be different. Probably including their body fully collapsing in on itself, where it would be reborn as a human ‘baby’. He was curious to what determined who took care of them after that, but Taichi never spoke of it, so it was probably rude to discuss it. 

Taichi was getting older though...He said he’d be turning 94 in a couple months. He still looked relatively sturdy though, so Zero could probably put off _that_ particular conversation for at least 50 or so years. That was way earlier than Zero would ever die naturally, which was upsetting, but they could always find each other again! 

He was concerned, however. For someone so sturdy looking, Taichi was surprisingly weak. He required help to even get from his bed to the odd chair with wheels he used all the time.

Hmm. Maybe he should ask him sooner, then. Maybe 30 years? 25? 20, at the earliest. He didn’t want to bring up something that was rude earlier than he needed to, after all.

He snapped to attention when a familiar voice let out an indignant “Ow!”

Magnamon had run into him while running around the corner, and was on the floor. He glared up at Zero, rubbing his gold helmet.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going—Zero? Zero! We need to talk to you!” 

“Huh? But I just got back, shouldn’t I—” Disregarding Zero’s half question, his armored comrade grabbed his arm and pulled him along the hallway he had been running through.

“Is something wrong?”

Magnamon didn’t reply, but pushed open the doors to their transport hall and pushed him through one of the portals before he was able to grasp what was happening.

All portals served to make all of them dizzy, and this one was no different. Blinking away the spots in his eyes, he saw a rather bland room with 6 chairs and one bed, and came face to face with the wide eyed faces of Taichi’s children, grandchildren, and little sister. 

Come to think of it, he hadn’t met all of them yet, had he?

One of the older ones he hadn’t met yet screamed, and grabbed her chair. Normally he would’ve tried dodging, but he couldn’t even open his wings in this small space. 

He braced himself for the minor impact it would give, but with a blur it was gone. Zero’s head snapped to Leopardmon, who was holding the chair. Okay, _what_ was going on?!

The woman screamed again, pointing frantically between them.

“It-Demon! Demons!!” May, one of Taichi’s grandchildren who he _had_ met, jumped up from her own chair and restrained her hysterical mother.

“Mom, calm down!”

A breathy chuckle rose from the bed. Taichi, skin wrinkly and pale but smile as lively as ever, was staring at the scene with mirth in his eyes. Zero was, quite frankly, offended. She had thrown a chair at him!

“And this is why I didn’t tell you...” he coughed a couple times, and Zero, for the first time since becoming a Royal Knight, devolved to Vdramon. Now much smaller, he was able to maneuver around the quiet Leopardmon and through Taichi’s family to his partner’s bed.

“It changed formmm….” May’s mother sounded wheezy, but he ignored her.

“Are you okay?” Up close, his partner’s skin was borderline ashen, and his breathing was hindered by something, which probably wasn’t a good sign. Concern coiled in Zero’s gut. “Are you sick?” The hospital gown would be proof, if they were in a hospital room. They didn’t seem to be, however.

Taichi chuckled once again. Soon after, he had another coughing fit. Another one of Taichi’s grandchildren, Yu, ran up beside Zero and gripped their grandfather’s bony hand. 

“Grandpa...” Taichi gripped Yu’s hand, and shook his head. He turned his honey-brown eyes to Zero’s red ones.

“In a way I suppose. I’m dying, Zero.” Zero inhaled sharply, as his partner went into another coughing fit.

H—he was…?

He had just been thinking about it, hadn’t he? Humans…didn’t live as long as he expected.

He must’ve said that out loud, because Taichi’s eldest son answered the unasked question.

“Dad has actually lived quite a long time for a human,” one of the first people to meet him—after Taichi’s parents and sister—Hideki placed a comforting hand on Zero’s shoulder. “We usually only live to around 80-or-so normally.”

Distantly, he could feel himself fall to the floor. Oh God he was not ready for this. He still had so much he wanted to do with Taichi! So many questions he wanted to ask! Even if Taichi were reborn, it would take a while for some, if any, of his old memories to resurface. (And he was doubting that theory more and more each passing day; no matter what denial said.)

But he wasn’t alone in this, was he? Pushing himself out of the numb blanket that had wrapped itself around his mind, he glanced up at Hideki.

The almost 70 year old was so similar to Taichi. From his cheekbones to his posture, to the way he bravely hid back tears for another’s sake. Without hesitation, Zero stood up and hugged his partner’s eldest child.

Everyone took turns talking to Taichi. They talked about everything. What was going on in school, home life, children, _who the fuck all these monster demons were and why Taichi was **friends** with Satan’s abominations_ (to quote Hideki’s sister, Moon), advice on life, and what his adventure as a kid was like. (What a way to find out your grandpa is actually closer to 95 than 94.) They talked for hours, until Taichi could no longer muster up energy to speak. And then, they talked to him. Zero scarred the image of his partner’s soft smile into his mind as he listened to his great grandchildren rant. 

Eventually, Taichi’s family left to go eat. Kari, Taichi’s sister, gave him one last look over her shoulder before shutting the wooden door with a click.

Leopardmon hadn’t moved from the corner of the room, Zero noticed. Every couple hours he’d be reminded of his presence, and each time he was surprised he hadn’t left yet.

“Zero...” Taichi wheezed. Zero’s gaze snapped to him. The brunet shifted his arms to push himself up.

“Taichi, you shouldn’t be moving.” Zero murmured, moving a claw to reposition his partner’s position and blanket. Instead, Taichi grabbed it, letting the rest of his body fall back onto the mattress. He pulled Zero closer, and the Royal Knight was both surprised and not to see the harsh light in Taichi’s normally warm eyes. He had seen them before. He knew what that meant.

_No..._

“Zero.”

“No...” Zero shook his head, tears building, and Taichi‘s quirked slightly.

“Please, watch over my family.”

Zero shook his head again.

“Please don’t….”

“I’m sorry, Zero,” Through his tears, Zero could see Taichi’s arm trembling. “Can you do me a last…favor?”

He sat up straight. 

“Anything.” His partner smiled softly.

“Give me a hug? As AeroVdramon?” Zero blinked, and nodded, and let the light inside him grow. His wings were made for Taichi. Fitting, that they should be created once again in his name.

As the light died away, he wrapped his wings and arms around his partner, lifting him slightly. Trembling, Taichi wrapped his thin and bony arms around his neck. Taichi didn’t comment at the occassional tears dripping onto his hospital gown, and Zero didn’t comment on the ones dripping onto his chest.

“Taichi?”

“...hm?”

“Will we...see each other again?”

“Of course, Zero. We’re the 100% team...after all.” He coughed weakly. Zero couldn’t see his face, but he knew Taichi was grinning. Zero tightened his grip slightly.

“Yeah...”

He didn’t know how long he’d been holding Taichi like this, but he didn’t want it to stop. All good things had to end eventually though. Slowly, Taichi’s grip slackened. When the arms around his neck fell completely, Zero let out a sob. 

“…Taichi?”

No answer. The tears fell harder, and Zero let them.

Taichi…his best friend was...

Distantly, he could sense Leopardmon pad over. He clearly felt the hand on his shoulder. 

“He will be missed.” Zero’s shoulders shook as he sobbed.

“You knew,” He gasped between sobs. “That he was dying.”

No reply. They both knew he was right after all.

“Do humans,” Zero lifted his head towards his leader. “Do humans come back?”

Leopardmon wiped his expression, and Zero stared back pleadingly. He needed to hear it. 

Eventually, slowly, he shook his head. Zero buried his head back in his partner’s chest with another sob.

His wings couldn’t save his partner this time.

~

**Author's Note:**

> Death is sad :( Even if it's preceded by a nice, long life.


End file.
